You are My Sunshine
by Dr.Page
Summary: After saving an abused gardevoir from near death.They start to develop feeling for each other.but can mark hold up against all of the ridicule? And is gardevoirs past still haunting her?
1. Chapter 1 Left For Dead

Chapter 1

**(Tried to fix the format, hope it's more eye-friendly now)**

A boy in red vest ,green cap,and old blue jeans was trudging down a dirt road,more of a man actually. He was already sixteen-but he had only gotten his first badge, the basic badge from Aspertia. Normally he would have started at ten years old, but his parents were very protective. He barely just convinced them to let him go. They were moving to Castelia city and they allowed him to collect his  
badges as they went ahead by car, although it didn't much matter to him. The badge trend hadn't caught up to him like everyone else. He had his pokeball with him, tepig was his starter. A thick wall surrounded the road, its living bricks were formed from ancient trees that all but the smallest pokemon would find impassable. The sun radiated its warmth and heated the ground. He could hear pokemon playing in the  
woods. Once in a while he would spot a curious patrat wiggling its nose as it perked from the bushes. He was as happy as can be.

"At least I can collect my first three badges "he thought, "maybe then they'll let me continue my journey." Laughing out loud, nothing could spoil this day.

However, his thoughts were cut short as he saw something blue lying in the brush of to the side of the road. A low moan came from the bush.  
Mark, for that was his name, narrowed his eyes and slowed down.

" Oh my God, is that a person!?"he rushed over to the prone form of a girl lying on her side, her back to the road. She was wearing a long blue dress and had blue hair in a curious,curved style. But her dress was covered in blood .He turned her over on her back to get a better look, and realized she was quite beautiful. But he stopped all of a sudden, noting her white skin and orange chest-horn. He extracted his pokedex and scanned her.

"GARDEVOIR, THE EMBRACE POKEMON, TO PROTECT ITS TRAINER IT WILL EXPEND ALL ITS PHYCHIC POWER TO CREATE A SMALL BLACK HOLE."

"This would be a nice pokemon to have, " thought Mark, but he had no pokeballs with him. And he was still trying to accept the fact that this was a pokemon, she looked so much like a human, and very pretty. He couldn't help but to stare for a minute. His thoughts were halted as he noticed the more serious wounds. Her white legs were drenched in blood. She had a black eye and dried blood encrusted her lip. He fumbled in his backpack desperately trying to find a potion. His hands shaking he applied the potion to a wound on her arm. His face was written with concern as his mind raced " I hope I'm not too la- "

The gardevoir snapped up into a sitting position, "NO!

Mark grabbed his head in pain as the voice reverberated in his head, "wow, telepathy, okay .."he looked over at the gardevoir to see she fell unconscious again. He also noticed her breathing was much more shallow." I'm not gonna have enough, "he thought as he looked at his one potion. He quickly checked his gps and saw there was a pokemon center about 12 miles away. Carefully he picked her up and cradled her in his arms, he looked at her face again, "please don't die, please, "and he started to walk briskly to the center. Not daring to run for fear of jarring her. She was light, but with the distance she was taking a toll on him. But couldn't afford to rest. "I can make it,I only have a mile ... I can...I..."he was about to black out and he knew it too. He just too exerted himself too much, and he was already tired from all the days walking. He turned around and slowly sank to the ground, still cradling gardevoir,"please...don't...die..."  
0000000 0000000

Mark began to wake up ...he could feel a bed underneath him,"...I must be at home "he thought."No, wait ..."He began remembering the day's events, finding that hurt gardevoir ...the gardevoir! She was dying! All of a sudden he shot up out of the bed he was lying, only to connect to solid wood with a loud crack. Moaning he rolled onto the floor holding his head. Looking up he saw that he was sleeping in a bunk was in a small room filled with about three more such beds.

"Is everything allright? "Asked a feminine door opened and the familiar face of nurse joy appeared.

Mark grunted, "ugh ...hit my head. "

"A trainer found you passed out on the road with your gardevoir -"

"She's not mine,I found her laying in the grass ..."he stood up with panic in his heart, "Is she okay? Will she be okay?! "

"Her wounds have healed, "she was silent for a moment, "it puts me at ease that it wasn't your pokemon ..."

"Why? "

"The nature of her wounds was...obviously dealt by a human.I was afraid you did it."

"Me!? "

"Calm down now, "she assured. "I don't believe it is the case now. You may go now ,"said nurse Joy as she stuck her head back out of the door.

"very well,"replied the voice of officer Jenny as she walked out of the center.

"How did you know it was human? "asked Mark ,still wondering why Officer Jenny was involved.

"Well like I said, her -her w -,"stuttered nurse Joy, she turned around and picked up a clipboard, handing it to Mark.

He looked at it confused, "This just details all the wounds..."his heart sank as a tear formed in his eye. His mouth formed into a grimace, "Dear God above ..."His whole body turned numb and his gut twisted, "all that...bloo-"a few tears streamed down.  
After a minute of uncomfortable silence, he looked up,"May I see her?"

"Yes but...we think the emotional trauma...put her in a coma."

"A coma!? ...a coma."

"Yes, "said nurse Joy, "the emotional stress was probably too great, it was probably her trainer...come "

Mark followed her, dead in his own thoughts, "how could...how could he ever do something like that? "He began to feel nausious. As they entered another room, he could see the gardevoir laying on a single bed."She looks so peaceful..."He thought."How long will she be like this ?"

Nurse Joy pursed her lips,"I'm afraid there is no way to tell...how are you at singing?"

"what?"

"I have read that in the wild ,if a gardevoir goes into a catatonic state like this ,the others will sing to it .Which is supposed to help."

He looked back at the gardevoir,"I'll do what it takes,just um...some privacy would be nice.I don't normally sing in front of people."

Nurse Joy chuckled,"sure thing,"she quietly walked out of the room and closed the door.

Mark tried to remember a good song for something like he remembered,a song that his mother would sing for him when he was sick.

"You are my sunshine,my only sunshine ,

you make me happy when skies are gray

you'll never know dear,how much I love you

please don't take my sunshine away."

His voice would crack from his still lingering puberty,partly from mostly from sorrow for what she endured. .He had a very voice good he kept on repeating the song,But weariness eventually overtook as he sat onto an adjacent bed, he finished singing it again,and he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2 Heartbreak

**(CHAPTER 2-HEARTBREAK.) Okay for those of you that read this already it is FIXED this time. and I removed the conversation with nurse joy so she is still physically like a normal gardevoir.i am sorry for all the trouble. :P**

Dreams haunted Mark's sleep. Things played out in his head as he was forced to watch. He remembered crying ,feeling so helpless,then a voice ,like that of an angel pierced the dark dreams and enveloped him in its embrace .He felt so warm ,so happy,the voice was singing to him,it was a familiar song."The song..."he thought,"what is that-"and then he remembered,You are My Sunshine was being sung to him by that beautiful voice ,it sounded like a girl. But his dreams dissipated ,and he fell into a deep slumber.

The sun was streaming through the window. He was lying on his side in the same bed as last night when he was singing to the gardevoir. He turned over to look at her and stopped. On her bed was the gardevoir herself ,looking at his face. Still dazed,he stared at her face in awe, not realizing that the beautiful creature before him was actually gardevoir.

_Good morning _,sounded a voice in his head. His trance was broken as he realized she was speaking to him,telepathically.

"Uh,G-good morning,"he stuttered.

_I'm sorry about the nightmares you had last night ,I could sense them in you ,_Her face took on a sorrowful expression_._

_ "_That voice ..."Mark thought.

_Yes,that was me singing ,_She said,_I hope you didn't mind,you did it for me ,so... I tried to repay you._

"No !no trouble at all,"he laughed ,"you have a beautiful voice."

She smiled ,_Thank you ,so do you,and it was a very pretty song._

Mark could have sworn he just watched her get prettier when he said that.

_Nurse Joy wishes to see you._

" Oh,thank you,"He got up and walked out to the counter."Nurse Joy ?"

"Hello !"she smiled ,"Good to see you awake ,as you can see the gardevoir's all better .She has a pretty voice ,doesn't she?"

Mark furrowed his brow,"You heard her ?''

"Oh yes ,she sang with her mouth ,imagine that !"

"yeah that is something..."he trailed off."What is gonna happen to her now?"

"Well,we talked it over together while you were asleep. So we decided that it would be best that she should go with you."

"Me?"

"Yes ,as a gardevoir she can sense the emotions and intentions,or even thoughts of others. She believes you are a good person."said Nurse Joy.

"Oh,"Mark's face reddened,

Nurse Joy grew serious,"But you have to be gentle with her!She has been hurt badly and is still very frightened and is only hiding it from you because , she said you have been troubled by it.

"I will be very careful with her,"he solemnly vowed.

"Good,she also said she doesn't want to be confined to a pokeball,"

"Er,okay ,I guess that's fine."he said.

"And here she comes now."

Mark turned around and was again caught off was walking towards them ,her "dress" swirled around in an imaginary wind. He watched her silently,but he remembered that she can read thoughts so he caught himself. But she was still very beautiful.

Nurse Joy had sent them off with his backpack full of food,there was no way they would be hungry. Gardevoir walked gracefully behind him on the dirt road.

"Gardevoir?''he asked .

_Yes?_

"Ah ,why don't you come to the side of me ,so I can ask you something."

She quickened her pace so that they were now walking side by side.

"Do you have a name ?''he asked .

_R-I guess ...I was not important enough to give a name._Even she couldn't hide the sorrow in her mind's to it made Mark's heart break.

"Why don't we give you one?"

She turned to him ,_Really ?What kind of name?_

''What do you want?"

_You are my master now,it should be fitting that you give me one._

_ "_Okay ,well I was thinking...how about Gardenia"? {gar-DEEN-ya }

_Oh!Its lovely!,_She turned to Mark with a smile on her face ,_thank you so much!_

"Sure,"laughed Mark.

They had left the pokemon center nearly an hour ago,but it was still a long way to Virbank city. Leaves littered the road from the countless trees growing on the side. Stones covered the road as Gardenia was walking ,she stumbled over one of the larger ones. Mark quickly reached out his hands and caught Gardenia before she hit the ground . She screamed in terror when she felt his arms around her .Mark let go and stood dumbfound.

"I'm sorry,I'm sorry whats wrong !?"he cried as she sunk to her knees and began to cry.

_It-its not you,_she replied,_please forgive me ,its-its the memories..._

" It's not your fault Gardenia ,"he sighed,"you went through a lot."

She still knelt there sobbing,Mark knelt down by her and put his arm around her and let her cry into his shoulder. He too wished to cry,but he had to remain strong for her. When her sobs quited down,he asked ,"Do you want to spend the night here,its almost dark anyways .We left the center rather late."

She quietly nodded and he helped her up ,he took out a napkin and dried her tears.

"Don't cry now ,its all past."

They walked out into the woods and found a clearing to set up the tent. Mark made the beds and secured all their belongings as night started to fall. He was about to settle down in his makeshift bed , which consisted of a pillow and blanket , when he realized Gardenia wasn't there. He came out and looked around the clearing when he spotted her lying on a pile of leaves.

"Gardenia!"

_Master?_

_ "_Why are you sleeping there ?"he asked.

_Huh?oh-I'm sorry I-_

_ "_I've got another pillow and blankets here ,"he laughed,"I'm sure its more comfortable in here."

Gardenia was taken back for a few seconds,_Thank you ma-_

"And don't call me master ",he said gently,"Mark is just fine."

_Th-thank you Mark_,She beamed.

They each lay in there respective bed a few feet from each other and fell into slumber.

Late in the night Mark briefly woke up,he was very groggy. But could hear crying,mournful and heartbreaking .Though he was too tired to react as sleep quickly shut his eyes without his consent.

It was morning .Mark was waking up but he felt...strange. He turned his head and stared into the serene face of Gardenia. She had her body close to him so he could see the tear stains on her face,and he felt her arm draped over his chest. She was curled up right beside, so couldn't help but notice how sweet her breath was,like the angel trumpets at his old house. His cheeks grew warm ,he wasn't used to this kind of personal contact."the poor thing probably didn't even realize she did it."He lay there trying to go back to sleep,to save Gardenia embarrassement, then he felt her stir and he couldn't help but to turn his head and take a glimpse. Gardenia's eyes were wide open ,staring back at Mark ,unsure what to do. Both their cheeks were burning. Mark blinked a few times.

"Good morning."

"Oh!"She gasped in her real voice ,"I'm -I'm sorry ,I don't know what to say !"

Mark chuckled as she got up ,"No worries it was a cold night. It 's nice to hear your voice,your real one ...I like it." trying to change the subject.

She regained her composure,"Thank you,"and she blushed again,"I don't use it very often because -because-"She began to tear up again.

Realizing where this was going he walked up and put an arm around her shoulder,"It's a beautiful voice,you should use it more often."

"Thank you...I will."

(Stay Tuned folks-next chapter they arrive at virbank and things get interesting!)[and what will his parents think?]


	3. Chapter 3 Virbank

** CHAPTER 3 - Virbank... sorry it took so long. I may not be able to work on it Monday so I made it longer. enjoy ! REVIEWS APPRECIATED.**

Mark had just finished packing up the small tent and other various item into his backpack when Gardenia walked up, "I wanted to thank you ,Mark , for everything you've done for me .''

"It's no problem ,"he smiled, "I'm glad that we met , uh-not under the circumstances I mean bu-"

"As I understand ,in human culture, this can be used as a sign of gratefulness."

"What is?" he asked. Then Gardenia stepped even closer and kissed Mark on the cheek.

"Thank you," she said shyly.

Mark's face grew unbearably hot ,"Um, L-like I said, no problem..."

They walked for a few hours, enjoying the scenery , when they came into view of Virbank City. As they walked in they could see a lot of hangars , and docks in the distance.

"I've been here before..." whispered Gardenia.

Mark glanced with concern, "Oh my gosh, I just realized I forgot something!"

"Hmm?"

"There's someone here that you should meet, " he laughed as he grasped his pokeball.

"You have another pokemon?" she asked.

"Yup , he's my starter. Come on out tepig !" he cried as he launched the pokeball into the air. A red beam shot out and tepig appeared on the ground.

"Oh! He's a fire-type !" she exclaimed .

"Yeah , don't worry he's a nice little guy." Tepig sneezed in surprise seeing Gardenia spraying embers from his nose ."

"Oh!" she screamed as she jumped back.

"Now be nice tepig ," he scolded , " this is Gardenia , our newest member of our party."

"Hello tepig ," smiled Gardenia as she knelt down smiling.

" Tep!" He clumsily held out his front leg.

Gardenia giggled and shook his hoof.

"We're gonna be heading into Virbank City ,Tepig, " he said, "expect a gym battle !"

''Tepig!" Tepig jumped happily.

"Alright ," laughed Mark , " come on back," Mark held out the pokeball and called tepig back in. "ya know, Gardenia, I've been meening to ask you..."

"What is it ?"

" Um, how come your ... blue..." he chuckled nervously.\

"How come I',

"Hey!" sounded an unfamiliar voice.

Mark turned around and spotted a man on a bicycle. He was in his early twenties ,with dark slicked hair. He wore dark glasses with a red and green cap. A black jacket and jeans completed his curious ensemble . "Ya gonna challenge the gym, boy? "

Already annoyed by the fact that he was just called boy , Mark answered with a curt, "yeah, what about it?"

"How's about a battle between the two of us ?" asked the man with a grin , "See if your ready !"

Mark was beginning to dislike this man even more, "Alright then ,you call out your pokemon , and I'll call out mine."

"Great ! Lets see what my new pokemon can do ! " snatching a pokeball from his belt ," Lets go Golem !" A beam of red light struck the ground .

" GOOLEEEM!''

"Where did you get that ?" asked Mark .

"None o' your business ." He growled.

Sighing with disdain , Mark grabbed at the pokeball on his belt. He would have liked to use Gardenia, but he didn't know if she was up to it yet. And he didn't want to force her.

"Ah ,ah ," the man wagged his finger," I want to fight you gardevoir."

Mark turned his attention to Gardenia with a questioning look. He was surprised when he saw her trembling. But she wasn't looking at Golem, she was staring at the man with a look that he couldn't quite place.

"Interesting color by the way ," the man smirked .

Mark ignored him

Gardenia placed a hand on his shoulder and talked into his mind, _Let me fight ,it's the only way I can get stronger and recover ._

Mark nodded

"Will ya hurry up , you two gonna stare at each other all day !?" The guy was obviously perturbed when Gardenia put her hand on Mark's shoulder.

" Fine ! Keep your shirt on!" Mark spun on his heel to face him ," And her name's Gardenia !"

"Tch ,whatever ," He replied with an edge to his voice," what's your name ,boy ?''

"First tell me yours..."

The man chuckled ," It's R-...Dan."

"I'm Mark"

As the pokemon took their places, about fifty feet apart, Mark remembered ,"Crap ! I don't know any of Gardenia's moves !"

_Don't worry ,Mark, _Her soft mind's-voice spoke ,_ I_ do...

Somehow he felt comforted.

And with that the battle commenced. "Golem , rock throw !" Yelled Dan.

Golem dug his fingers into the ground and ripped up a large stone, simultaneously throwing it at Gardenia.

Gardenia stayed in her position ,letting the stone hurdle towards her.

"Gardenia !" Mark yelled in alarm.

_I've got it ,_Her mind soothed.

Just as the stone was about to strike, it glowed with an eerie blue light , and flew back at golem with even greater speed. It struck him square in the face ,shattering into a dozen pieces.

"Gooll..." Golem took it stoically as any rock type would.

Gardenia then took this time to unleash a flurry of razor bladed leaves at the stunned Golem.

_LEAF STORM ,_ she involuntarily shouted in Mark's mind.

This was too much for Golem however . The sudden whirlwind of leaves drowned out any cry he might've made as he got the sense knocked out of him.

Dan smirked as he recalled golem and paid out the money , "Nice battle , where'd you get that gardevoir?"

Mark glared, "Where I got GARDENIA is none o' your business ," he replied.

"Suit yourself ," he smirked and rode off without another word.

Mark turned to Gardenia," Gardenia ,that was awesome !"  
_"_You were happy with me ?"

"Happy ? Haha , I'm ecstatic . I've never seen such a fast battle !"

And then without thinking he grabbed Gardenia and hugged her.

She gasped in surprise.

Then Mark realizing what he just did, and let go, "Oh, I-I'm sorry ,it was a reflex ..." He felt his face getting hot again.

"No problem ," laughed Gardenia. And to Mark's surprise she walked up and hugged him back.

Getting even more embarrassed, much to Gardenia's amusement , he said, " So,uh, you wanna head to Virbank now.

Gardenia nodded.

It just occurred to Mark that Gardenia was using only her telepathy around Dan. "Ah , she's still probably getting used to speech ," he reasoned.

"Alrighty, " he started, " what do you say we spend the night at a hotel ,then if you feel up to it, we can challenge the gym leader."

Gardenia tilted her head in her own personal thoughts, _It makes me feel good that he treats me so well. That he even asks my opinion...he really is sweet. _"Sure that sounds good" ,she replied.

After wandering about for a little bit, they finally found a hotel. It was in moderate condition. A chandelier hung from the fifteen foot ceiling, though it had a bulb or two dead. The chairs looked like they ... used to be expensive. And the finish was flaking off of the main desk. Mark walked up to the clerk with Gardenia behind him. "Room for two please."

The clerk , an elderly chap with a full head of white hair , was dozing. However he snapped to attention when he heard the request ,and acted as though he was never asleep. " That'll be two hundred dollars."

Mark flinched , he had the money ,but it took out a good chunk.

Gardenia put a hand on his shoulder, " If it's cheaper , I can spend a night in a pokeball."

" No, you will have a regular bed like anyone else ." Mark didn't notice how Gardenia beamed, but the clerk sure did.

The elderly clerk watched this exchange with a raised eyebrow. Mark ,being oblivious to such things , shelled out the money and took the room key. As they walked down the hall ,the clerk settled down into his chair. "Curious..." he muttered before dozing off again.

Mark and Gardenia ,woke up revitalized . Mark quickly walked out of range of the clerk's silently accusing glare ,of what he had no idea , and turned to Gardenia.

" So ,lets head to the mart and see if we can find anything to help with the gym battle."

She merely nodded.

After shopping for half an hour ,they bought three potions and set off in the direction of the gym.

"What kind of pokemon does this gym use ?" asked Gardenia.

Mark grinned sheepishly ,"Ah, I don't really know ."

She giggled ," Okay."

They walked up to the gym ," Nothing special about it," he remarked. When they walked through the door and into the poster littered hallway, they could hear the deep thrumming common to rock bands. Inside was a small waiting room . Dirty ,torn up seats lined the walls and a man reclined on a wheeled chair reading a magazine. Above his head read a sign, **APPLY FOR AMETUER BAND AUDITIONS AND BE JUDGED BY ROXIE HERSELF ! **for a small fee of $500.

Mark walked up to the desk ," Sir ?"

The man jumped and threw the magazine into a drawer with almost practiced swiftness. "What can I do for you?"

" Well we would like to challenge Roxie ,the gym leader..."

" Well ,ya see, she is in a concert right now ," he stated, " I'll make sure she gets word though. I'm sure the fans will love to see a pokemon battle as well ," he chuckled. As he said that , he pushed a button on the side of the desk , and a light began to flash red on the desk. " Please ,'' He motioned ," have a seat ,shouldn't be too long."

Mark and Gardenia sat side by side on the cleanest chairs they could find. They both sat there thinking , of their past and of their current events.

" I cant believe all of this happened ," he thought. Mark never expected to find the Gardevoir. She was so frail and hurt. He knew he had to protect her.

_He treats me like a_ _human , _she thought. She had read his emotions and thoughts as they traveled. He had been lonely. Far from close human company , she had been a fresh breath of air to him. It made her feel happy that he looked to her so much,_ He has helped me so much ,he is kinder than-than anyone I've known._ She could read other people's emotions , but she didn't realize what made her heart beat so fast when she thought of him.

"Whatever happens ," thought Mark.

_No matter what , _thought Gardenia.

"I'll protect her ,"

_I'll be there for him._

Then they turned to each other and smiled , not even knowing what the other was thinking.

"Yo !" called out the man , " She's ready for you , ya better hurry through that door she can be impatient."

The light was now flashing green. Mark and Gardenia got up and walked through the door. As they opened the door , the sheer amount of light blinded them. The waiting room was obviously well insulated , for the cheering cry of hundreds of fans blasted their ears . The smell of sweaty bodies and hotdogs permeated their smell. Roxie , the gym leader , stood with her band on the stage pumping her fists. The two started to walk down the pathway leading up to the stage , then the fans caught sight of them . The noise became as they cheered for their leader and for the challenger. Gardenia jumped at the sudden noise and instinctively pressed herself against Mark. He consoled her and led her to the stage with an arm on her shoulder. Leading to a lot of queer looks from the fans and some... suggestive comments. Luckily neither of them could hear it. Roxie stood with her arms crossed and a big grin on her face.

" Welcome challenger ," She yelled over the clamour, " lets make this simple , I'll call out my pokemon , you call out yours . Then we fight!"

" Deal."

"Alright , let's rock koffing !" She grabbed her pokeball and threw it into the air. Koffing appeared over the stage .

" Koff, koffin."

" Dangit ! Poison type ," Mark muttered as he glanced at Gardenia. '' Alright, Tepig , let's go !" Tepig appeared on the stage as well , about ten feet from koffin. "Alright ,tepig, embe-"

" SMOG ,koffing ," yelled Roxie.

Koffing quickly let loose a cloud of rancid gas . Tepig, threw his head down as the gas watered his eyes and burned his nose.

"Tackle !"

Koffin came barreling through the cloud and slammed into tepig. Sending him sprawling.

" Tepig , ember ! You can do it !" Mark yelled . And no sooner, tepig sent a flurry of firey embers from his snout. Koffin grimaced in pain as the embers burned his body.

Alright , koffin use assurance !" yelled Roxie.

Nobody could see well what happened in the cloud . But the fact that tepig flew out seconds later , slamming into the floor , it became obvious the attack hit home. Roxie pumped her fists in the air, "YEAH BABY !"

" Tepig , flame charge !"

Tepig got up as flames danced around his body in blinding rings. He ran at koffin with surprising speed for such a short creature.

" Koffin , dodg-"

But it was too late . Tepig hit koffin with full force , and sent him unconscious to the floor. Deflating , he let out noises akin to farts as the gas escaped.

" ALRIGHT TEPIG !" This time it was Mark pumping his fist.

But tepig was worn out , and Roxie saw that. " You're good , but your tepig's weakened! Can he stand against my whirlipede ?!" She recalled her deflated koffin and tossed a second ball. Her whirlipede rolled out onto the stage.

Mark raised his eyebrow. It didn't look like much , but looks can be deceiving. "Okay tepig , see if you can muster a flame charge ."

Again Tepig hurled at the enemy ,body blazing.

"PROTECT !"

A sheen of green light covered whirlipede , just in time for tepig to bounce harmlessly off.

" NOW USE PURSUIT!"

Normally the attack wouldn't have done so much damage , but tepig was already weak and too close. THe result was in Roxie's favor as tepig was knocked unconscious.

Mark turned to Gardenia, " Well I guess your up ,if your okay with it..."

_Ofcourse ,_ she smiled . Her voice reassured Mark.

She stepped up confidently.

" Poison sting whirlipede !" yelled Roxie.

Whirlipede shot forth a dozen purple needles which Gardenia deflected with psychic.

"Hey !" Roxie pouted ," I didn't hear you tell her to do that !"

" Telepathy ," Mark laughed , " perfectly legal!"

Roxie scowled , " Poison sting !"

Gardevoir reacted with magical leaf , but she had been distracted by the conversation. She had destroyed

most of the needles. A couple of leaves even hit whirlipede. But one of the needles hit Gardenia. It didn't do

much damage ,but it did poison her. Which is all Roxie wanted.

Gardevoir used psychic to lift whirlipede off the ground and slammed it onto the stage ,seriously injuring it .

Roxie's eyes glinted, " Whirlipede ! Finish with venoshock!"

Gardenia couldn't dodge the purple glob of liquid . It struck her and began to react with the poison in her system. She fell to the ground and began to convulse. Mark ran over to the ground and lifted her head off of the hard stage.

Gardenia began to cry , " I'm sorry ,Mark , I really am worthless . Just like he said," and she began to sob bitterly .

" No , no ," soothed Mark , " you were wonderful, don't fret." he hugged her. The fans were cheering like mad-people for their gym leader . None of them were near enough to watch what happened between Mark and Gardenia. " I 'm sorry for putting you into this , I should've known better," he started to tear up.

Gardenia was near fainting, but she was able to put a consoling hand on his cheek before she fainted.

Roxie however watched the whole thing with an open mouth. She had never seen something like this between trainer and pokemon. She almost felt bad for winning.

Mark cradled Gardenia in his arms . "For the second time ," He thought bitterly . He looked up at Roxie, " I'm coming back ..."

She merely nodded , still confused , as Mark walked down the path amidst the cheering fans.


	4. Chapter 4 Success

**(Fixed this up- so now your eyes won't scream everytime they read this))**

Mark paced the pokemon center like a caged animal. Nurse Joy was typing away on her keyboard when she looked up, " Please have a seat, sir. Yourgardevoir will be as good as-"

"Her name's Gardenia," he growled.

Nurse Joy sighed, some people are just worriers. Each step Mark took drove another jagged splinter of guilt into his heart. How could he look into her eyes? He wouldn't blame her if she decided to leave and fend for herself.

"Sir, your ga-Gardenia is ready to see you," Nurse Joy said. Mark walked to the solitary room across the room. He almost lost his nerve as he reached for the doorknob. "I feel like I'm about to step on stealth rock or something," As he walked in, he immediately spotted Gardenia sitting on a chair with her head down. "Oh God, what can I do?" He thought. He shuffled over to Gardenia, "Gardenia-," Mark's mind was ssaulted with a cacophony of feelings and sounds. He felt the overwhelming guilt radiating from her. Streams of apologies filled his head and incapacitated him. He managed to walk towards her and sit down with an arm around her shoulder. Gardenia involuntarily flinched, and promptly broke down in tears. Mark locked her into a tight embrace as hot tears soaked his shoulder. "It's not your fault,Gardenia, god it's all my fault ,please forgive me!" They both sat there in the chairs, silently consoling each  
other.

Mark walked out of the pokemon center, holding gardenia close to him. "Ya mind if I stop by the mart ?"

"Ofcourse not"

As they walked through the pokemart door, a man rushed by and ran into him,"Sorry," Mark apologized.

The man scowled as he walked out," Damned queer,"

"What was that all about?" Mark asked.

Gardenia merely blushed out of sight. They looked around the store as mark picked up some essentials," Three potions, repel, and a few antidote." He walked up to the counter where a young cashier was talking on his cellphone‚"Ready to che-"

"Yeah i know, but did ya hear what he did to his flareon!?"

" Sir, I'm-"

" Yeah, he can be an inconsiderate jerk,"

" I'm about to shove that phone up your-" This time, Mark was interrupted by the sudden blue glow on the leg of the cashier's chair. A second later the chair broke and spilled the young man onto his back. Mark looked back in amusement at Gardenia, who was hiding behind a row of pokeballs, guilt seemingly radiating from her.

Mark put his arm on the counter, "...I'm ready to check out..."

The cashier looked at the chair in confusion, " uh, yeah ...sure man, "

Mark walked out with Gardenia, a big grin decorating his face, " ahh don't feel bad, Gardenia, "he chuckled, " he deserved it anyway! "

Gardenia blushed, "Even so... I feel bad, "

He just laughed, " Hey, let's go look around that open market, some interesting trinkets there."

The two had entered a small plaza filled with one-man shopping went to look at their own interests. Gardenia went to the paintings and Mark went to the Rock music area. He was trying to decide aether or not to buy a "Pain" Cd when someone practically body slammed him into the stall.

"What the hell!?" Mark grunted. He was ready to give whoever that was a piece of his mind when he saw the face of his "attacker ". "Oh my God Zach is that you!? " he hawked at the slender youth before him. His hair was a sandy blond and a toothy grin hung on his freckled face.

"Whatcha doing here, krom? " Zach asked, calling mark by his nickname.

"Just a bit of shopping, going to Castelia, what about you? "

"Eh, mostly checking out the girls,"

Mark smirked. Zach sure didn't change.

"Like check out that one in the blue over, can't see her face but man look at that figure! "

Mark blushed, "Um...that's my pokemon..."

Zach stared at him, " ..." he whipped out his pokedex and scanned her  
from afar.

"...dayum ... you lucky bastard! I can't believe you got a gardevoir! "

"Well actually I found her on the side of the road, she was um...hurt  
so I took her to the center "

" Dude do you realize how lucky you are? "

"Yeah well, she's powerful and a good friend actually, "

Zach looked at him in confusion, "Don't you know what I'm talking  
about? "

"...gardevoir? "

Zach just shook his head," What happened to you man, don't you go on  
the Internet? "

"Well sure I -"

He was interrupted by the cellphone his friend put in front of his face. He stared at it in shock for a few moments, " What the hell man!?  
Get that away! " he swatted the cellphone out of his eyes, " you're a real fuckin' pervert ya know? Its people like you that hurt Gardenia! "

Zach looked confused for a moment, " Oh crap you can't be serious..."

"You don't have the right to an explanation, you'll just have to guess," Mark grumbled.

"Look I'm sorry, but you have to admit she's a cutie,"

"Well she looks like a human..."

"While you're trying to convince yourself you aren't a freak, I'll go introduce myself."

Mark didn't really hear him, he was still trying to digest his thoughts. What would everybody else think? He was interrupted as Zach  
jogged up to him.

" Hey man nice talking to ya gotta go bye,"

" Wait what? Didn't you say hi?"

Zach stopped, " Yeah, then she mentally showed me what she would do if I hit on her again," He grimaced." Oh crap there she is, bye!" Zach ran off in a full sprint.

Gardenia walked up to Mark with an annoyed expression, " He deserved it"

"I'm sure he did hahaha," *Gardenia seems to be coming out her shell...I'm glad she is recovering,* he thought.

" Can we go fight the gym leader again?" She asked suddenly. Mark stared, " What? why? I-I- look how hurt you got the last  
time."

" I know, but i still want to do it, we almost won..." After a few more minutes of deliberating, they set off to challenge the gym leader again. They walked through the lobby and after a few minutes, they walked back onto the stage -like gym. This time there was no throng of jeering bodies. It was just the challenger and the gym leader.

"Well, well my man, " began Roxie, " didn't expect ya back so soon, feelin' confident? "

"Damn right I am, " Mark's thoughts went back to when Gardenia was thrashing on the ground, " your going down. "

"Good! That's what I like to hear! "Roxie laughed, "Enough with formalities then then! Go Muk!" With a red flash, Muk appeared on stage, along with a acrid stench.

"Go Tepig! "Mark threw the balk high in the air, and tepig landed with a snort, "Ember! " Tepig reared back a shot forth a flurry of red hot embers.

"Dodge Muk! " Muk was too slow however, he groaned and curled up when the cruel embers burned him. "Smog! " Muk opened his mouth until it was unnaturally large and belched forth a rancid gas. Tepig had just finished ember and he was breathing hard. Thus, breathing in the poisonous fumes.

"Crap, " Mark thought, " he's probably poisoned now." He yelled, "Flame charge! " Tepig built up speed as an inferno raged around his plump body...and he completely missed the Muk. "What the hell? "Mark muttered. "Again! "

" Clear smog!" Muk expanded his oozing mouth and let loose a torrent of a white gas. It covered the battlefield momentarily, revealing Tepig to be in the throws of a violent cough. " Muk! Use assurance."

Mark watched in disbelief as he was forced to recall his fainted pokemon. Gardenia moved forward, _My turn._ Mark's and Gardenia' minds linked. It was such an amazing experience to him. He felt like... like all was right with the world. _We are one._

"Smog!"

Gardenia's eyes glowed and she lifted Muk high in the air, his smog harmlessly hurling through the air. Her eyes flashed and she slammed him into the floor of the stage, leaving behind a puddle of filth.

Roxie whistled, " Ya got power, but so do I! Lets go Whirlepede!" The pokemon beamed out of his ball and rolled to face Gardenia. "Pursuit!"

Gardenia jumped to one side, but she gasped in pain as the other pokemon grazed her side. She closed her eyes as colored dots appeared around her and took the form of leaves. She let them loose and pummeled the Whirlipede as it huddled in pain.

"Poison sting, Whirlipede!" The pokemon charged up momentarily ,and threw a volley of purple pins.  
Gardenia was very swift, but not enough to avoid one sticking in her skirt and another in her arm. Mark felt fear, for her safety, well up inside of him, only to be squashed by a calming presence.

" Finish with venoshock,"

It was Gardenia this time who felt panic. She remembered the pain as the gooey blobs stole the life from her. She let fear drive her, command her. She flew into Whirlipede with unnatural speed and flame punched him against the wall of the gym, leaving tiny little cracks.

The referee spoke up, " The winner, Mark and his gardevoir!"

Mark stood there dumbfounded, then he rushed up and locked Gardenia in a bear hug. Which surprised her just as much as it did Roxie. He walked up to Roxie with a big grin. " Congratulations , you've earned this." She held up the toxic badge to Mark.  
He took it reverently and laughed aloud, " I didnt earn it, Gardenia did." He fumbled with some string in his pocket and held it up triumphantly to show he made a necklace out of it. He put it around Gardenia, " Looks good on you,"

"Thank you," she spoke, and blushing furiously.

Roxie's and the referee's jaws practically touched the ground, but of course neither Mark or Gardenia noticed.

"C'mon, maybe we can catch the next ferry to Castelia City!"

The pair had boarded the day's last ferry to the city. There were very few people there. Mark stood with Gardenia, quietly enjoying the sunset. A man stood on the balcony, seemingly looking at the beauty before him as well. And he was, just no the sunset. A man in his early twenties gazed dark hair was slicked back. He wore dark glasses, even in the low light, and a red and green cap. A black jacket and jeans seemed out of place on the ferry.

Another voice spoke from behind," Yo Red, did ya find-"

"Call me that again and I'll gut you," He said matter-of-factly.

"Oh- s-sorry...Dan." Apperently the other man thought it best to keep quiet. So Red stayed on the balcony fiddling with a hunter's knife, and smiled,...and watched.


	5. Chapter 5 Return

**(Sorry it took so long, college sucks.)**

Chapter 5 Return

Mark and Gardenia stood together at the edge of the ferry, looking into the sunset as it painted the sky with red, orange, and purple. Gardenia giggled every time the large boat bounced over a wave. Mark looked at her against the fading light. She was so cute, everytime she laughed or smiled it sent his heart into a backflip. He could forget all of his troubles, mainly having to go back to his parents again. A larger wave rocked the ferry, sending Gardenia into a backwards tumble. She "eeped" as she fell, luckily Mark was paying attention and caught her in time.

"First time on a boat?" he chuckled.

Gardenia giggled like a little girl, " Yeah, it's so much fun, I could watch the water for hours."

"Well," started Mark," you have until morning, it's supposed to be a relaxeful ride according to the ticket guy."

The suspense was gnawing at him like an angry raticate, what would his parents say about Gardenia? He laughed inwardly. _I feel like I'm taking a girlfriend to Mom and Dad or something_. Ofcourse he never had a girlfriend before, never really cared. Atleast not with the flighty bimbos he always seems to find. Could Gardenia be like a girlfriend? No, that doesn't sound right. Like a token or a prize...he cared for her...

"Hey, um,Gardenia..." he started.

"Yes?"

" You sense emotions and stuff, right?"

" Yes," She smiled.

Mark's brain fizzed for a moment," Can you sense them in me?"

"Ofcourse I can, why do you ask?"

Mark stood there to gather his wits," People always say I can be rather, emotionless...that I'm secretive." _Why did I start talking about this?_ " Mom and Dad like to call me an emotional brick..." This was always a hard subject to talk about," What is it like...does it bother you to be around me?"

"...You will never bother me ," She assured," I don't think your emotionless."

" Well it's not that entirely i just...I have a hard time sharing stuff from my heart, ya know? I shut myself out to everybody else a long time ago. I know i did it, I hide everything about me anymore..." _Mark sneered inwardly, how pathetic!_

"But why would you block everyone out like that?" she asked in a tender voice, " I'm sure your family wants you to be open with them." It was difficult to accept a concept like the one Mark just described. To hide one's thoughts is a common practice amongst phsycics. After all, you never now who might be spying on you. But to lock up one's emotions is as foriegn to a gardevoir as oil is to water.

The past came rushing back at him like a thundering herd of tauros, it nearly took his breath away and tears formed in his eyes. "...I dont want to get hurt again..."

Gardenia wrapped him in a warm embrace ," I'll never hurt you, I promise...there is no shame in tears."

Hot, salty tears rolled out of his eyes and down his face. Each one seemed to scream at him, trying to remind him why he was so closed in in the first place. He hugged Gardenia back, "... please dont let me...dont let me go..."

"I will never let you go..."

Mark stood there, _dammed pathetic..._

After a standing there for about five minutes, Mark realized he forgot to get their room, "Uh, I just remembered, " he chuckled nervously, "I need to  
get our room, I'll be back soon."

The two approached the ferry's desk clerk inside, strangely alert at this late hour.

"Uh hey, sir, " started Mark, " I forgot to get my room, could you please assign me one? "

The deskman stared at him with steel gray eyes. The black suit, which seemed completely unecassary on a simple ferry, matched the 50 year old's  
impassive face. "I'm sorry, I cant allow you to disturb our other passengers."

"I...wasn't aware there were that many people inboard."

"Perhaps, young sir, you should pay attention more."

_ Young sir indeed!_ "But where will we sleep? "

"You may have a sleeping bag, and pick a spot on deck." He huffed, "You  
may want to put your gardevoir in its ball, it will not be allowed to wander."

"Just give me the sleeping bags, " Mark was getting irritated with this guy.

"We only have one, " he held up a package.

"Fine, we'll use it, " he grabbed at the bag.

"We? "

Mark suddenly became aware of the meaning behind the desk clerks question when he noticed the smile hiding on his face.

Mark smiled, about shoot a witty retort at the presumptuous man. Then he realized with a little bit of a shock, he didn't care. He didn't mind  
sleeping with Gardenia. _Is that normal ?_ Mark's smile vanished and he rushed out the door.

He walked up to Gardenia and handed her the sleeping bag," I got you a bag, you might want to get some sleep..."

"Where are you going to sleep?" she questioned.

Mark warmed slightly,_huh, it seems like she always thinks of me first_ "I'll be sleeping on the lounge chair nearby."

Gardenia could see into his eyes and see that he was suffering discomfort, so she decided to not push the issue.

Each of them set up their sleeping arrangements. Gardenia drifted off into the most peaceful sleep she had in years. Her dreams were filled with happy memories of her childhood and the happy memories she was now creating.

Mark lay on the lounge chair. His mind swirled and roared like a torrential hurricane as he considered his...relationship...with Gardenia.  
He sighed, *don't wanna think about this right now*

In a room aboard the ferry, three men were getting busy for an excursion. They slipped on black clothes and hats. The upper corner and the front of the hats were emblazoned with a bluish shield engraved with a lightning blue P cast over a Z. One of the men walked up to the other," I don't feel comfortable about this man, if one of the shadow triad figures out this is a personal vendetta...we're all dead."  
The other man, Red, turned with an understanding smile on his face, " You want out I guess?"

"I-It's just to risky..."

"I understand, " Red put his arm around his friend."You can leave if you want to. " Before the other man got a chance to answer, Red tore his  
hunting knife from its sheath. He ripped the knife through the air and across the man's throat. A look of shock crossed the unfortunate fellow's  
face for a moment. He struggled to say something through his new mouth, but instead blood surged forward and rained on the floor. The body fell and  
continued to bleed on the stained wood floor. Red turned to look at the man cowering in the corner and motioned him to follow, they had a job to do.

* _I__ don't even want to think about this_* Mark fished in his pockets and pulled out an ipod. He smirked, _No teenage traveler complete without one_  
he selected one of his favorite songs, Rainbow In the Dark by Dio. He started to move in tune with the music, completely absorbing himself in he  
rock.

The ipod was just loud enough for him to hear it,

"When there's lightning, you know it always brings me doooown. Cause it's free, and i see that it's me, who's lost and never found. No sign of the morning coming, you'll be left all alone, like a rainbow in the dark!"

Mark's vision became black as he felt something hit his head. Before he  
faded away, he heard the muffled scream of primal horror and despair that  
sent chills through his body and brought tears to his eyes

" RAINBOW IN THE DARK!"

Mark woke up with a searing headache. His vision blurred as he sat up and  
looked around. He could see his ipod, smashed into pieces.

..._shit.._.

two men stood before him with their backs turned to him. The tall one had Gardenia by her hair, who kneeled on the ground whimpering.

"Hey,Dan," the other started.

_Dan?_

"Why ain't she fighting back? Didn't you say she was strong?"

_Holy crap...that Dan?_

"I used to be her trainer, fool. " he chuckled,"That gives me power."

Mark snapped out of his hazy stupor when those words bounced around in his head. The images...of blood... the report...the way she cried...  
A red haze drifted into Marks vision. He flew onto his feet screaming in bloody rage. Mark slammed his knuckles into the one man's head, crumpling him to the floor before he even turned around. Another fist swung into the shocked face of Red. The blow caused him to let go of Gardenia and cover his bleeding nose. He unsheathed his knife and advanced onto Mark, "C'MERE YOU LITTLE FUCKER!"

Mark barely dodged the next set of swings, slashes, and punches from his enraged attacker. He sidestepped Red and drove a fist into his kidney. Red howled in pain and rage, he swung his knife. Mark looked down in shock to see the bloodied knife handle sticking out of his side.

A scream of terror, and anger, resounded through the air and the minds of all those awake on the ship. Mark sunk to the decking of the ferry. Searing pain shot through his body as he tried to hold the blood in. _Getting...dizzy..._He saw out of the corner of his eye, a figure outlined in blue as it flew by him and smashed into the guardrail.

"YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME! " Gardenia screamed in fury.

Mark almost forgot his pain, _Sweet Arceus..._

Gardenia's face contorted as she psychically picked up Red, and threw him off the ship.

The deskclerk arrived to see a young man struggling to get up with a knife in his side, and his gardevoir supporting him. A man lay on his face on the bloody decking and the ship's rail was smashed apart. Mark was brought to the ship's clinic and bandaged there. When they were about to throw the knife away, he interjected, "No...give me the knife..."

Gardenia sat on a chair, her face seemed ghostly and sorrow etched her features.

Mark lay down to sleep for the rest of the trip, * Wonder what mom and dad will say, hehe*


End file.
